Heart attack claims horse at Del Mar

DEL MAR  A fourth horse died at Del Mar this morning when Concier, a 3-year-old gelding, died after a workout of a heart attack, track officials said.

Concier, trained by Dan McFarlane and owned by Tom Ramsey, finished a half-mile drill in 47 seconds and then collapsed after finishing. McFarlane couldn’t be reached for comment.

Concier raced five times at Turf Paradise in Phoenix, winning its last time out on April 11. The Discreet Cat offspring also had three second-place finishes.

Concier is the second horse to die in morning drills. A K Karma, a 3-year-old colt by Officer and trained by Jeff Bonde, broke sesamoid bones in a front leg on July 19 and had to be euthanized. He also had just completed a drill.

Two other horses have died in racing. Playful Council, a 2-year-old ridgling trained by David Hofmans, broke down in the fifth race on opening day on the Polytrack and was euthanized. He was owned by Karen and Mickey Taylor, who also owned Seattle Slew. And Gifted Monarch, a 3-year-old ridgling owned by Curt and Lila Lanning LLC, broke down on the Polytrack in the eighth race on July 25. He also was euthanized.